Dr. Schaefer aims to build bridges and create transparency around research on the brain, with the end goal of promoting public health. With a background in molecular/genetic pathways of synapse formation, as well as models of motor neuron disease, she has served as Executive Director of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders since 2006. To complement her role with the Hope Center, Dr. Schaefer joined with department chairs and center directors to create the Office of Neuroscience Research (ONR) in 2008. The ONR serves investigators working on disease, as well as those studying normal development and normal function of the brain. More recently, she expanded the ONR mission to address topics of neuroscience and society. This effort will allow neuroscientists to more directly engage across disciplines at Washington University, and also engage those outside the university who are interested and invested in improving public health. This greater access and transparency should drive neuroscience research that best serves public health needs and also enable more informed actions as public health policies are created and revised.